Expression of caprine E74-like factor 5 gene and associations of polymorphisms with milk production traits

Abstract

This study cloned the full coding region of E74-like factor 5 (ELF5) mRNA from caprine breast. Results showed that the caprine ELF5 cDNA contained a 768bp open reading frame encoding a protein with 255 amino acid residues. BLAST analysis revealed that the caprine ELF5 protein had high similarity with that of four species: Bos taurus (99%), Ovis aries (99%), Sus scrofa (94%), and Homo sapiens (94%). The ELF5 mRNA expression pattern showed that ELF5 mRNA was highly expressed in the breast. This work provided an important experimental basis for further research on the function of ELF5 in dairy goat. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (g.27147C>G and g.10342G>A) in the ELF5 gene (genomic DNA) were detected by PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing in 657 goats of the Xinong Saanen (SN) and Guanzhong (GZ) breeds. The g.27147C>G mutation produced ras-responsive element binding protein 1 binding site. At g.27147C>G locus, individuals with CC genotype had higher milk protein than those with CG genotype in SN and GZ breeds (P<0.05); in SN breeds, individuals with CC genotype had higher milk yield than those with CG genotype in the third lactation (P<0.05). Therefore, the biochemical and physiological functions, along with the results obtained in our investigation, suggested that the ELF5 gene can serve as a genetic marker for milk production traits in dairy goat breeding.